Creating a blog was out of the question for a long time for me, as measuring everything in the kitchen was like biting into an eggshell. I enjoy cooking and don’t want to waste even a slightest bit of enjoyment in that small world of mine. But little did I know that everything will change, when my husband came home with the Oscar nominated film ‘Julie and Julia’( a real life story) where Julie Powell (part played by Amy Adams) challenged herself to make all the 524 recipes from Julia Child's cook book ‘Mastering the Art of French Cooking’ and blogging all her experiences (The Julie/Julia Project). It was an inspiring movie. A few days later when we were discussing this casually with a friend of ours over tea…everything changed dramatically…..” How about you making at least half of it in one year? Not French but your own. 262 recipes that will inspire others and present it as a blog?” For a minute my mind traveled faster than light… With an experience as a helper in my mother in laws kitchen for 6 years followed by a three year everyday struggle to satisfy the palate of my foodie husband, if I cannot do it then why should I cook? But on the other side with an experience in English literature extending no more than expanding outline stories in English grammar class when I was 18 and two small kids that come in handy at times, will a commitment for the next one year work? Anyway my ‘cook's ego’ didn’t allow me to say no...

So my friends …here I am opening my recipe book, trying to perfect and present 262 recipes in the coming 365 days….A Challenge that will of course tastes good. Come.. Have a walk with me along my journey.. Cheering and inspiring….Forgiving and tolerating…Testing and tasting….for ‘A Tasty Challenge’

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Thursday, June 17, 2010

Beef Stir Fry

Recipe No: 36
Ingredients                                                                      Serves 4
To Marinate
  • Beef cut into thin, broad, long pieces….1 ½ cup (Washed and drained)
  • Pepper powder………………………………1/2 Teaspoon
  • Dark soy sauce……………………………….1 Teaspoon
To saute
  • Carrots cut into thin round pieces………………..3/4 cup
  • Water chestnuts sliced into thin round pieces....1 cup
  • Bell Peppers cubed (Red and Green)…………..1 cup
  • Broccoli florets……………………………….…..........1 ½ cup
  • Onion cubed……………………………………............1/2 cup
  • Garlic Chopped fine………………………….….........2 ½ Tablespoons
  • Spring Onion Chopped…………………………........1/2 cup
  • Oil……………………………………………….................2-3 Tablespoons
For the Sauce
  • Beef Stock………………………………….….1 ½ cup 
  • Dark Soy Sauce……………………………...2 Tablespoons
  • Oyster sauce…………………………………1/2 Tablespoon
  • Sugar……………………………………..…….1/2 Teaspoon
  • Red Chilly Sauce…………………………....1/2 Teaspoon (If not available use Red chilly    Powder)
  • Corn Starch…………………………………..1 ½ Tablespoons
Method of Preparation
  1. Marinate the Beef with all the ingredients in the marinade section and keep aside till ready to use.
  2. Mix all the ingredients for the sauce together and keep aside.
  3. Heat a tablespoon of oil in a wok/pan on very high heat and stir fry the marinated beef. As the Beef is very thinly sliced, this will take only a minute or two. Do not make it crispy.
  4. Remove the beef from the pan and keep aside for later use. Add the rest of the oil and add saute the garlic for a minute.
  5. Add Onion, Carrots, Broccoli, Water Chestnuts and Bell peppers all at once and saute for two minutes. The vegetables should not be overcooked and should be still crisp.
  6. Add the Beef back together with the accumulated juices   followed by the prepared sauce and let everything cook together till the sauce is thick and is coating the beef and vegetables.
  7. Add the sliced Spring onion, mix and serve hot with a bowl of boiled rice sprinkled with some fried Cashew nuts.
Notes: All of this cooking will take only minutes, so keep everything prepped and ready to go before you start cooking.
From the start to finish do everything on high heat.
To slice beef thin and long, keep the beef in the freezer for ½ an hour before cutting. The meat should be as thin as possible.
If you have no beef stock, dissolve a Beef/Chicken Bouillon cube in 1 ½ cup of water and use. If that is not available, dissolve one or two Maggie Taste maker in 1 ½ cups of water and use.
If Oyster Sauce is not available, you can use 1 ½ Tablespoons of Worcestershire Sauce instead. There will be a slight taste difference, but that is also very good.
I love using dark soy Sauce for this but regular Kikkoman Soy sauce works perfect too.
Water Chestnuts as well as Soy and Oyster Sauces are available in the Asian section of the grocery stores. 
You can do the same preparation with Chicken too.
 





Make it, enjoy the deliciousness and 
serve it to your family with love....

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